TLC has officially announced the cancellation of the hit reality TV show "19 Kids and Counting." The announcement was made via a statement released on Thursday, July 16.
"After thoughtful consideration, TLC and the Duggar family have decided not to move forward with 19 Kids and Counting. The show will no longer appear on the air," the network said in its official statement, adding that "the recent attention around the Duggars has sparked a critical and important conversation about child protection."
For 10 seasons, the show has chronicled the home life of Arkansas couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children. The reality series was pulled out in May when reports surfaced of the molestation incidents involving eldest child Josh Duggar that occurred years earlier.
However, a spokesman for Discovery Communications, which owns TLC, told CNN that the channel is not ruling out a spin-off of the show in the future, which could feature some of the Duggar children. Jill and Jessa appear to be the most likely choices as both have started families of their own.
During the last season of the show, fans tuned in and saw Jill and Derick Dillard's wedding, and Jessa and Ben Seewald's nuptials. Season 10 also saw the birth of the Dillards' first child, Israel David, and toward the end of the season, the Seewalds announced that they are expecting a baby.
There has been no confirmation from TLC or the Duggars whether a spin-off featuring the two sisters is in the works. If the network does intend to give the spin-off a shot, then camera crews will have to travel to wherever Jill and her husband are at the moment, as the couple has recently left the U.S. for an undisclosed location to do missionary work.
Aside from its cancellation announcement, TLC also told AP that they have teamed up with two prominent child protection organizations for an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about child abuse. The initiative will begin with a one hour, commercial-free documentary featuring Jill and Jessa, which is slated to air "later this summer."
